Congress and Iraq: Dumb dumb dumb.

The new congress wants more say in matters of war than it is entitled to. When it comes to combat, it is a stark truth that the president is constitutionally in charge. It is a bare-bones reality that congress will never end this war through non-binding resolutions, budgetary chicanery, or revising the original resolution to go to war.

At best, their actions against the war are crafty but unproductive political maneuvering, at worst they will lead a political dead-end, even a rhetorical trap for a new congress to fall into. It is just too easy to say that a congress that removes funding, changes the president's mandate, or takes an impotent posture against the war is against our troops, is weakening our resolve and giving comfort to our enemies. The democratic congress must contain its reactionary impulse, and work towards positive policy goals, rather than pretentious posturing on matters over which they have no sway.

Like most people now, I think our venture into Iraq was stupid. Even from a neocon perspective, we could have at least attempted to achieve all that domino-effect-nation-building mumbo jumbo in Afghanistan, while actually spending our military energy going after Al Qaeda. It wouldn't have worked, but hey, what empire doesn't get bogged down in Afghanistan? Going into Iraq was about oil, just as it was in '91. But we're there now, and it's the president's right to run the show.

So what should congress be doing? Well, for starters:

• How about passing legislation implementing the 9/11 Commission's recommendations. Let's get our ports secured, our air travel smoothed out, our visas and IDs in order.
• Let's ensure that any terrorism investigation happens with a warrant, as the constitution demands. There's already a system of judges with security clearance who are available 24/7.
• Let's put pressure on the Pentagon to process all the mysterious detainees in Guantanamo Bay and who knows where else. Let's investigate what's going on in the shadows, and what went on in the planning of this whole venture.
• Let us not forget domestic policy... Bush's budget is calling for cuts to such no-brainers as children's health insurance-- something that Georgia's Republican governor, and many others, are fighting tooth and nail. Where's congress on this?

The whole point is taking the moral high ground-- finding ways of backing them into a corner for a change. After all, who would vote against implementing the 9/11 commission's recommendations? Who's against our basic constitutional rights to review by a judge? Who thinks it sends the right message to the world that we've held people for almost 6 years without any trial or judicial process? If America's so hot, so freedom-loving, how about demonstrating it to the world. Who can stand upright and declare that getting health coverage for poor kids is a bad idea?

I don't like what's happening in Iraq, but we elected our congress to pass legislation, write a responsible budget, and form committees for proper oversight of the actions of government. They should be crawling all over the Pentagon, being vocal about subpoenas for the minutes from Cheney's shady meetings with defense contractors and energy moguls. They should perform their constitutional duties. Congress will get nowhere obsessing uselessly on Iraq; they'll just prove to be as ineffective as the guys before them.

If they want real power they need to focus on where they already have it.